All Blue Romance
by Kinrutarose
Summary: Zeff has a daughter,and she comes to find him and learns about the Baratie and Sanji.but what happens when she meets this mysterious 'Eggplant Head?An encounter in Zeff's old home and the girl's island village leads to an...unexpected and nearly impossibl
1. Ch 1: The Girl

Chapter 1: The Girl

Disclaimer: Hello all! This is my first One Piece fic! Yay me! - - Anyhow, this is a Sanji fic. He needs more of them. I might do a Ussop/Kaya one-shot eventually…maybe, if ppl want it that is. Ok, well I don't technically OWN One Piece, but I have a TON of merchandise! I even have little Tony Chopper reindeer gloves from Anime Expo 2003! And all the manga, which only goes to about 6 or 7 here. O. evil distributors. Hope you like this, and please review! You may flame or give ideas if you so wish!

As the young girl approached the fish-shaped restaurant, she suddenly became meek and afraid. Would he remember her? It HAD been about 10 years since she'd seen him on off on his last voyage. Would her father be the same? She hoped so. Her sky blue eyes were full of hope as her long blonde hair wafted in the breeze. Her white sundress waved in the breeze as well, and she held up her hand to shield her eyes from the sun. The glare on the ocean was beautiful, yet blinding. Now she knew why her father was so attracted to the allure of the sea.

She meekly opened the door and looked inside to see many customers and waiters rushing around. She looked for a cook's hat in the crowd, but saw none. So she put on a solemn face and walked back to the kitchen. She burst through the door, much to the surprise to two cooks. One of them was large, had 5 o'clock shadow, and a bandanna tied around his head, along with an apron and flips flops on. He blinked and talked in an uneducated tone.

"Aye Miss! You're not allowed back here! Personnel only!" he said kindly, thinking she'd gotten lost. She just glared at him with her icy eyes and smirked.

"I'm not stupid ya know. I'm looking for someone. And he happens to work here! So could you boys please step aside, I'm looking for a blonde guy. Not the peanut gallery," she snapped. The other man had brown hair and a facial shadow as well as the first, but had on a white chef's outfit.

"Now wait a minute! The only guy like that is Sanji, but he left a while ago to join our friend Luffy's crew of pirates!" he said. The other nodded.

"Carne's right!" he said with a nod.

"Like I care? The man I'm looking for is NOT named Sanji, he's my dad, and his name is the Infamous Red Shoes Zeff!" she said with an air of pride in her voice. She loved telling people that her father was the feared pirate. She was the most feared girl in all of the Tasuki Islands. Their jaws dropped, then they started laughing.

"Chef Zeff doesn't even HAVE a daughter! He's never mentioned ANY kids, except acting like Sanji was one of his own, he's never wanted kids!" the one named Carne said between laughing. She stiffened.

_"Daddy…never mentioned he missed me?"_ she thought, almost to tears. One slid down her face and her eyes closed tightly shut. She remembered what her stern mother had said before she died.

_'Do you really think your father would have left if he wanted you? He's probally forgotten he even HAS you! Make a life for yourself outside of trying to follow in his footsteps! For all we know, he died at the Grand Line! The man you and I loved left a long time ago Jasmine…'_

"I…I tried so hard…to be just like daddy…I learned how to fight with my feet…and how to cook…I even used to be part of a small time pirate crew…all for daddy…" she started to sob out, then her eyes snapped open in fury, "AND THIS IS HOW HE REPAYS ME! BY FORGETTING THAT HE HAD A DAUGHTER AND A WIFE WHO LOVED HIM SO MUCH, AND KEPT HOPING HE'D KEEP HIS PROMISE AND COME FOR THEM AFTER HE WENT TO THE GRAND LINE! MAYBE MOTHER GAVE UP ON HIM EASILY AFTER THE FIRST YEAR, BUT I WILL NEVER, NEVER GIVE UP ON HIM!"

Both were taken back at her devotion to the story, and her remarks about the Grand Line made them second think their first conclusion. Then, a man with blonde hair that was slightly dull from age and braided into two long masses that came from his mustache, a wooden leg, and an obscenely large chef hat came up behind her with his arms crossed.

"She'll get it now from Chef Zeff…huh Patty?" Carne whispered to his friend. Patty nodded.

"Poor thing…should have stopped while she was ahead…" he whispered back. But to their surprise, Chef Zeff's arms wrapped around her in a hug and his eyes softened.

"Jasmine…your papa has missed you so much…" Zeff said softly to the shuddering girl. She gasped. Her father's voice sounded just like it had when she was only 7. She remembered the day he left and she'd been running to the docks to say goodbye, but shook her head at the painful memory.

"But…they say you don't talk about me…" Jasmine said weakly, being turned around roughly and looked over. He mused to himself about how she'd changed. Then he shrugged.

"Not to them maybe. But Eggplant Head asked a long time ago when we started Baratie what I'd left behind when I'd become a pirate. I told him my wife, and my little girl that was a year younger than him. But I never told Carne and Patty. I am happy you've aspired to do so much…but I don't want you to follow MY dreams. I want you to follow YOUR dreams..." Zeff said in a stern, yet loving way. She nodded and wiped her eyes.

"Don't worry daddy, I HAVE been following my dreams. One of them was to find you…the other…well…I don't really know how real the stories you used to tell me were…but I want to find the All Blue. You got me infatuated with it, then I found out one day it was my dream too," she smiled, her chipper and carefree attitude once again returning to her. She immediately grabbed an apron and put her hair up in a long ponytail and turned to him again.

"So Papa, will you let me stay here and cook with you?" she smiled. He put on his normal stony face, hiding his joy at the simple question, and nodded. She laughed happily and got to work, making about seven meals at once. Patty and Carne were amazed at how good she was, and even snuck some of her cooking for their own pleasure. Zeff retired to his room to let his daughter get acquainted with the crew.

"This…is as good as Sanji's!" Carne said, and the other chefs were amazed at this remark, because no one had ever come close to Sanji, except for Chef Zeff himself. She blushed and smiled sheepishly.

"Aw…it's not that good Carne…and who is this Sanji guy that you all, dad included, talk about?" she asked quizzically. Patty smiled at how sweet and innocent she could be, but remembered the cold glare she gave earlier and reminded himself that she wasn't someone you wanted to mess with.

"Well, Sanji was a whelp that Chef Zeff saved from a sinking boat, and then through starvation. We still don't know why he did it, but after that, he and Sanji opened Baratie, and Patty and me came and applied first here for jobs! They've been like a father and son, even though they fought a lot of the time. Sanji's nickname for Zeff was 'Crap Geezer', and his nickname was 'Eggplant Head'," Carne explained. Jasmine was still very interested in the subject and wouldn't let it drop.

"But what about now? Where is Sanji now? If they were so close, why is he gone?" Jasmine ventured. She was slightly worried that someone had gotten all of her father's attention over the past 10 years, which was rightfully hers.

"He went and joined a pirate crew as the cook after Chef Zeff threw him out so he could pursue his dream to find the All Blue, just like you and the Chef. But that was after we went against Don Kreig and his pirates…" Patty said, his chest puffing out a bit in pride. But another chef burst his bubble.

"Yeah, Sanji and our friend Luffy, our old Chore Boy, beat Don Kreig and his first mate, Gin!" the chef said, only to be hit with a pan from Patty. Jasmine laughed and covered her mouth, then went back to sautéing something. As she watched the food simmer and cook, she continued.

"So…that cook…Sanji…took out Kreig, huh? Pretty good feat. That man's a monster…I saw him destroy a whole town once while he had a naval flag up on his masts…my crew and I were there, but got out in time. I wanted to stay and fight…but my crewmates were cowards and would have left me behind. I'm lucky they ventured this far out to drop me off here at Baratie!" she mused to herself, but they all heard her. Patty put a hand on her shoulder, as he had sensed the strain and self-anger in her voice.

"It's not your fault that Kreig got that village, if your crew leaves, you can't be the only one left behind to protect it, now can you?" he said sympathetically. She nodded, but stayed rigid.

"But why can't it be like that Patty? Why can't one person stand up for what they believe in, no matter HOW out-numbered, or out-skilled, or out anything they are? Why can't someone just stand up for what really matters?" she said angrily. They could tell she'd seen many cowards in her days, and she seemed to refuse to give up because of it.

"Chore Boy was like that…and Eggplant head became that way…so not everybody is a coward Flower…" Zeff said, appearing in the doorway of the kitchen as the voices of people in the restaurant milled in and created background noise. She nodded.

"I know…I'm not trying to belittle what they did daddy…it's just…why can't more people be fearless and charge into things with only their hopes, dreams, and belief to carry them through?" Jasmine asked with innocent and pleading blue eyes. He shrugged and turned to the rest of them, dropping the subject.

"Listen up! We're going into an island port! We need supervisions, and I have someone to visit here! By the way, tell the merchants on Tasuki Island that Zeff sent you, and he'll treat you right! Come on Flower…let's go visit your mother…" Zeff said, with a calm happiness in his eyes. Her face darkened, but she waited until they were docked and outside the door to their old house to tell him.

"Papa…"

"Yes Flower?" he said softly, using her old nickname. But when she was little it was Little Flower. It just seemed she'd grown up.

"Mama is…she's…dead. She died from a sickness…she was outside on a cold stormy night…the anniversary of your one-year trip. And she got sick because of being out there all night waiting for you…she died about five months ago…that's why I came to find you…" Jasmine said sadly. She hated the look of shock and pain in her father's eyes. But then again, how could he have known? So she didn't hold it against him.

"I'm…sorry I never came back Flower…I didn't mean to…I was just so ashamed that I hadn't done all the things I'd promised I'd do…" Zeff said. She shrugged.

"That's okay daddy. I don't blame you…but i…never thought I'd see the Great Red Shoes Zeff fall to the place of a Head Chef…but that's not a bad thing, don't get me wrong! I was just so used to hearing about how many guys you'd killed on your last voyage! I guess…I was kinda proud of you…" she said with a shy blush, surprised at how nervous she was of her own father. He put a steady hand on her shoulder and smiled.

"That means a lot to your old man Flower," he smiled. She nodded and led him inside to talk and reminisce about their life, and get to catch up on lost time.

An: so? How was it? I would like to pick 3 people as friends of Jasmine, but I will only take reviews of characters from the most detailed three! No shortcuts and making me determine the characters! So if you want to be in this story, detail your character! And please tell me if you like this! Next chapter will be with Luffy and the crew, and we'll follow Sanji as they get to Tasuki Island and stumble upon the Baratie crew! Emo reunion between Sanji/Zeff will ensue! And Sanji/Jasmine meet after hearing so much about each other! Fyi, this is a Sanji/Jasmine fic!


	2. Ch 2: The Guy and the Best Friend

Chapter 2: The Guy and the Best Friend

Disclaimer: WOOT! I have readers! w I so happy. :huggles Sanji plushie: ok, I don't own One Piece! And my new best friend, and fellow authoress

Anime Creature

owns Kit. Now Kit is Jasmines best friend. And I am still looking for detailed characters to put into my story! I wouldn't mind a guy along with a girl. ;; more competition for Sanji. But I'd like someone to come up with a girl who is friends with Jasmine, yet falls for Sanji! Nice twist, ne? I owe that to an idea inspired by AnimeCrazyK-chan . she gave me no bios though, so I am not using her characters! I said specifics ppl! Lol. Ok, on with the fic!

A girl with hazel-gold eyes and fiery red hair was sitting on the coast, reading her newest book quietly. She knew she shouldn't be on this side of the island, but when she and Jasmine had come out here, things had been fine. She didn't know why all the older adults were so afraid. She had on black boots and black pants, topped off with a deep forest green top that brought out her eyes. Even though usually those eyes were cast down from her shyness. Just then a rustle was heard in the brush and forest behind the coastline to her back, and she turned around to see a huge…THING coming at her. She took this as her cue to run.

Sanji was once again cooking miscellaneous food for Luffy, Ussop, Zoro, and Nami on the infamous Merry Go. He breathed deeply to smell the food and its tantalizing scent. He smiled. He amazed himself at how good he was.

"And another masterpiece is created…" he said smugly, as Luffy's meat dinner was nearing completion. Luffy seemed to sense this as his signature laugh could be heard and he burst through the kitchen door, only to find Sanji just standing over the stove, waiting for everything to finish up. Luffy stood by him in silence for a second, okay, HALF a second, then he cringed and couldn't take it anymore.

"Sanjiiiiiiii! I'm HUNGRY!" Luffy complained, opening the oven and reaching for his meat. Sanji slapped his hand away.

"You'll burn your hands and your mouth that way Luffy" he said simply with a stern glance. Luffy continued his whining though, and reached for it again, Sanji not stopping him if only to teach Luffy a lesson.

"OW wow wow wow wow! That hurts!" Luffy cried out, juggling the meat from one hand to the other. Sanji let his head throw back and laughed.

"I told you! Now, let it cool, or you'll- -" Sanji started, but was interrupted by a fierce blowing sound and cries of pain. Looking over, the cook sighed. Luffy had stuffed it all in his rubbery mouth and was burning himself…again.

"I TOLD you to let it cool Luffy…" Sanji sighed, "You destroyed the perfection of the masterpiece. I didn't get to lay it out nicely."

"Hey. I heard Luffy's screaming. Does that mean dinners ready?" a calm and bored voice said. Luffy and Sanji looked to the door to see Zoro, his swords slung on his hip and his bandanna stuffed in his pocket. Nami, whom was carrying tangerines from the trees on the top deck, and Ussop, who had his slingshot laying lazily in his hand, followed him slowly. Once they saw the scene and Luffy waving his hands over his tongue to help the burn, they burst out laughing as Zoro just smiled and shook his head.

Sanji laid out lunch on the table and everyone dug in while Sanji watched and ate a plain and small meal. Nami looked out the window at the island beach they were swiftly approaching and her eyes grew serious and she swallowed the food in her mouth.

"If we land on that beach, it might cause problems for our ship when we want to leave…" she warned. Ussop and Luffy just scoffed at her observations as Sanji and Zoro nodded silently.

"It won't be any problem Nami! There is nothing that could possibly go wrong on this side of the- -" Ussop started, but was interrupted by a mighty growl, or screech, or cross between the two and a girls scream. Ussop immediately paled. "On second thought…let's go to the other side…maybe they don't have…whatever that is over there…"

"Coward. Someone screamed. We have to go help that person. What if it was you out there being chased by god knows what, and no one came to help you?" Zoro snapped, unsheathing his ivory handled sword.

"I'd slay the beast like a cunning warrior of the sea of course!" Ussop lied with a false confidence. The group rolled their eyes in unison, except for Luffy, whom was stifling laughter. Ussop decided to ignore it and they went out on deck as the ship pounded onto the beach and landed. Nami looked over the edge and sighed.

"We'll NEVER get out of this now! We're beached! We'll need help just getting out to the other side to dock!" Nami complained, leaning on the railing. Zoro nodded and Sanji pointed to the forest that was shaking slightly.

"I think that may be out monster…" he said wearily. They'd been fighting a lot lately, but with the crew of the Merry Go, a fight was never turned down. Except by their cowardly sharpshooter (I.E. Ussop).

What came out was a gigantic spider chasing a girl with long fiery red hair and she was wearing forest green and black. A book was flying beside her in her hand and her hazel eyes looked like she was gonna cry. Sanji, Zoro, and Luffy jumped over the edge and landed gracefully on the wet sand, except Luffy. He kind of fell on his bum.

Zoro drew his swords and Sanji unbuttoned the top of his blazer and put his game face on. The two looked at each other and nodded solemnly as Nami and Ussop climbed down on a rope ladder. They waited until the two crew members got down, then cornered Ussop.

"Ussop…be a distraction. If you don't, I'll hurt you and make you eat rotten food for the next month or until you get scurvy!" Sanji barked. Ussop was about to protest, but Zoro was glaring dangerously at him. He whimpered slightly, but nodded.

"HEY BIG UGLY SPIDER! OVER HERE! YOU DON'T WANT THAT UGLY GIRL DO YOU? COME OVER AND GET A PIECE OF ME STUPID SPIDER!" Ussop called, his hands shaking as he shot a bullet at it with his slingshot. The bullet hit its mark and hit the spider right between a set of eyes. This obviously didn't make it happy, as it roared and began to chase Ussop, who was more than happy to run.

"Zoro! Come in from the left, Sanji the right, and Luffy…just go in fists flying as usual!" Nami ordered. They nodded and obeyed.

Sanji kicked like a madman and took out four of the spider's legs, as Zoro hacked off the other side of legs. And Luffy, true to his style, went in with his arm stretching back a long distance and a goofy smile in anticipation on his face. His signature laugh was heard as the girl ran past him and collapsed and he let his arm fly with a battle cry.

"GUM GUM PISTOL!" he screamed, and the legless spider went flying and made a huge SPLASH! noise as it fell into the ocean, and evidently drowned as it had no legs to swim back up. Luffy then turned his attention to the girl who was panting on the beach, her hands still firmly wrapped around the book, which he now noticed was a home-made book of letters. She was shaking violently and tears brimmed her tightly shut eyes as she gasped for breath. She looked up to see his hand extended with a smile.

"T-thank you…usually I fight without fear but…spiders scare me SO badly…" she said with a honey tone in her voice. She was a very sweet girl and very sincere with her thanks.

"No problem! That was fun! We like to beat up things! I'm Luffy! Who are you? I'm gonna be the next Pirate King!" he said confidently with a huge smile, his straw hat lifting in the breeze and blowing across the beach and she laughed as he ran after it and ran back with a smile when he caught it.

"I'm Kit. I'm from the village on the other side of this island. So, welcome to Tasuki Island! I can take you to the town if you want! Oddly enough, our town likes pirates! And we hate the marines, ESPECIALLY me though! They're so mean! They pick on the weak and defenseless! And they've tried NUMEROUS times to catch my best friend, Jasmine's, father! But they never caught him!" Kit said with a smile as the others came over.

"I'm Nami."

"I am the mighty Ussop! Warrior of the Seas!" Ussop said proudly. She laughed.

"Yeah…that's why you were crying Bloody Mary while that spider was chasing you, right?" Kit laughed. They all laughed and nodded. Ussop just sulked. Sanji stuck out his hand.

"I'm Sanji, pleasure to meet a pretty girl such as yourself miss," he said sweetly, and kissed her hand, making her blush.

"Uh…yeah," she stammered. Zoro hit his head and muscled into view.

"I'm Zoro."

"NO WAY! RORANOAH ZORO! YOU'RE MY IDOL! I LOVE THE WAY YOU USE YOUR SWORDS! I USE SWORDS TOO! Oh, but they're at home…I probally should have brought them…or at least my gun…" Kit gushed, first hurriedly in a fan frenzy, and then calmly and thoughtfully. He smiled a bit and nodded.

"You said you could lead us to town. Can we get started? Will it take too long?" Nami asked. Kit shook her head and led the way, and their chatter was a bit on the idle side.

"About ten minutes tops. So let's go! I wonder if Jasmine's home yet…she went out looking for her dad…her and her dad are mainly why we all like pirates so much! Her dad was a famous pirate that sailed the Grand Line for a whole YEAR! And she went out looking for him a few months ago!" Kit mused. Sanji's ears pricked at the familiar descriptions and name.

"You said this is Tasuki Island, right? Is this Jasmine girls dad named Zeff?" Sanji asked inquisitively. Kit nodded with a smile. For some reason, these people set her at ease. They seemed to be so much like her friend Jasmine. Especially Sanji.

"Yeah! You know him? The infamous Red Shoes Zeff!" Kit chirped. He gasped as they came to the village after their conversing.

The village was just as quaint and welcoming as Zeff had always described to him as a child. When Sanji had asked about his home, that is. Zeff said it had a homey feel to it, even to complete strangers and everyone was welcome and accepted there. Even pirates could be at ease, because people would hide pirates in their houses when the marines came, and often the villagers drove the marines off.

"It's…just like Zeff said it would be…Tasuki Village…" Sanji whispered as Kit led the way down the main street, waving to people and saying hi.

"Hey Fauna! Hi Masaki! Hi Serenity! Hey Kanna, how's your baby?" Kit chatted as she passed various people. Everyone seemed to smile and wave at the Merry Go crew as well. A little boy even came up to them, a wooden sword in his hand and smiled.

"You're pirates, aren't cha? Welcome to Tasuki Village! Haven for Pirates and Bandits alike!" the child smiled happily and Nami and Ussop smiled in return at his cuteness as he ran off to his mother.

Kit led them to a house and knocked at the door as a troop of men in chef uniforms were walking to the same house. A girl with long blonde hair and clear blue eyes opened the door and she smiled and hugged Kit.

"KIT! I'VE MISSED YOU SO MUCH! OH! Hey Carne, Hey Patty! The hotel part of the house can be reached through here, come on in! did you get all the supplies Daddy asked for?" she smiled at the two cooks who were in awe at Sanji's appearance.

"Uh huh…" they could only murmur. Sanji smiled and lit a cigarette.

"Hey Crap Cookers."

"AYE! Shut yer trap Eggplant Head!" Patty yelled. He acted as if Sanji had never left.

"Don't call me Eggplant Head anymore! I grew out of that the second I left Baratie!" Sanji yelled angrily. The girl gasped and smiled as the chefs all went in behind her and went to their rooms to talk.

"YOU'RE SANJI! Dad's told me so much about you! I'm Jasmine! And if you don't want to be called Eggplant Head, I'll call you Fru Fru!" Jasmine laughed.

He whipped on her and glared, then noticed her looks. She was a bit taller than her friend, whom he guessed was about 5' 3'. And her long blonde hair bounced when she laughed. She had on a white tank top and jeans and he looked at the ground and his face was stained pink as he glared at the ground, furious that he'd let a girl get the best of him.

"Whatever…" he grumbled. Suddenly, he was hit on the back of the head sharply.

"Mind your manners to my Flower…_Fru Fru._ That's a pretty good nickname. I think you'll be called that from now on Sanji!" Zeff laughed heartily. Jasmine beamed as he put a hand on her shoulder.

"This is Luffy, or Chore Boy, and his friends that helped save Baratie Jasmine," he explained with a proud air to his voice. She nodded and led them in with a smile. They sat around the table and Sanji tried to make dinner once the sun began to set, only to be stopped abruptly by a stern kick to the head.

"Get away from MY kitchen! I'M making dinner! You're the guests here!" Jasmine said with a cold stare. Her gaze sent Sanji into a slight fit of minor shivers, and he nodded, sitting down and shakily smoking another cigarette.

'_What is it about her that throws me off so much?'_ he thought. Staring off into space. He could hear her humming as she cooked over all of the chatting and catching up of Zeff, Carne, and Patty with his fellow crew mates.

Closing his eyes he listened to her sing lightly. Her voice seemed to float from the very breeze itself.

"_When you walk away,_

_You don't hear me say_

_Pleeeeeeeease, oh baby, don't go._

_Simple and clean is the way you're making me feel tonight._

_It's hard to_

_let it go_

_Hooooooold me, what ever lies beyond_

_this morning, _

_Is a little later onnnnnnnnn_

_Simple and clean is the way you make me feel,_

_You're so hard to, so hard to, so hard to let goooooooo._

_Please don't go…"_

He sighed happily. Content for once. Her voice had a calming effect on him, even though no one else heard, or so he thought.

Zeff had also heard his little girl singing. It almost brought a tear to his eye, as that was the song her mother always sang when he went off on another voyage. Then the conversation distracted him from his sad thoughts. He wouldn't allow himself to mourn for his wife. He had to be strong for Jasmine. He only hoped Sanji wouldn't fall for her. He just couldn't.

Zeff knew all too well the dangers of showing you cared for someone on the seas. Love was a crippling weakness. He had been driven out of the Grand Line for fear of his family being slaughtered by one of his many enemies that had heard of his family on the small island. Love could shatter you on the seas. He didn't want that for the two of them. But he shrugged off the idea with a smile and shake of the head when Nami asked for something and Sanji happily obliged with stars in his eyes.

Jasmine noticed this too. And a small tug at her heart caused her to stop cooking momentarily. What was that feeling that made her want to punch out Nami? She'd only met them a while ago. But she seemed to know Sanji like an old friend from her fathers descriptions. She shook her head of these thoughts and smiled as she served dinner. Getting a stern look from Sanji. He suddenly grabbed her wrist and smiled.

"Tommrow, I get to cook, deal?" he said with a warm smile with a cigarette hanging out of one side of his mouth. She nodded. For some reason his smile and commanding yet gentle voice could make her do anything, or so she thought. It was strange and forign to her senses. But she locked away the feelings and thought of them no more. They wouldn't come into play anyways she figured.

But she was devastatingly wrong.

Anime Creature

An: WOOT! Chapter 2 is now up! Oh, I love this story! Mad props for my friend ,

who so graciously gave Kit to me! w I am honored to have her on the ABR cast! Now next chap will have another fight scene, and I will bring Lutinent Fullbody back from the Sanji escapades. He will try to flush out the island…for the millionth time. But he will be sadly mistaken and beaten up VERY good by Kit and Jasmine! And perhaps a new person and friend of theirs if anyone will give me a new person! Thankx for reading, and please review! I love you all! And so does my plushie Sanji. :plush waves while smoking: later and keep reading! I will update sometime…soon. Or near, or whatever! whenever my creative spark is most fuled by new reviews. So yeah, laters!


	3. Ch 3: Public Announcement

Chapter 3: This is a public announcement. We Thank You for Not Bringing a Marine into the Island At Any Time. That Is All.

**Disclaimer: Wootness! Aren't you proud of me? I actually updated! w Thanks to all my readers. And I also don't own One Piece. Sobbeth. That's too far away a dream…now! In response to all my darling readers:**

**Kiari the Hell Cat: Congrats! Your Sora is now Sanji's competition for Jasmine! Take a bow and pat yourself on the back, your character doth please me.**

**ThunderAnn:bows: Thank you much for the praise. It's always welcome. I enjoyed your characters' sarcastic tone. w reminded me of mehself. I shall use your dear Liza. She shall be Jasmine's cousin, and she'll have a crush on Mihawlk, if you're ok with that. But you shall take a bow as well….ok, now I feel guilty for not giving Kiari this long of a response…**

**AnimeCrazyK-chan: Woot! You're still reading! I have a REGULAR! Nopers, no email. T.T I hope you didn't think I was a cruel person for not answering…(at times I remind myself of the wishy washy Suiichi Shindou from Gravitation, if any of you know whom he is…) And yes, the handy dandy :dingy noise from Blues Clues: CHART is what I prefer to work with. It's like my personal checklist. I just cross things off that I put in with the details. ;; I am so lazy I amaze myself. You are the last heroine, kay? I need VILLIANS now! Mwah ha hahahahahahahahahahaha!(Yessum, this means your Kira is in the fic) Also, I'll take your word and make Kira like Sanji.**

**Yep, that's bout it. Enjoy the Fullbody chap!**

Jasmine woke up that morning with a smile. She could hear Carne, Patty, and her father's snoring. She got up, creeping to his door, and leaned on the frame. All she could bring herself to do was stare at the threesome with a warm smile. Her father was lying on the bed, while Carne was sprawled over his foot and peg leg, half hanging off the bed altogether. And Patty had foregone that stage all together, as his face was plastered to the wood floor, while one of his feet was hanging off the bed at an odd angle while the other was caught up in the blanket that none of them were covered by anymore. They looked so harmless, she just couldn't make herself wake them up.

Then a tempting smell came from downstairs and she heard a small mewing sound. Which was odd, since they didn't own a cat. She walked down the stairs, her light blue silk nightgown floating around her at the slightest movement. Her long blonde hair framed her face and she walked silently, stalking her way to the kitchen door. It was open a crack, and she peered in.

What she saw was Sanji smiling at a little black kitten. It was sitting on the windowsill, and he was frying a little bit of meat for it, while warming up some milk on the stove. Jasmine heard herself sigh happily. It was such a sweet scene, but she wasn't the only one. The little kitten heard her too, and decided out of curiosity that it was going to come to her. she tensed, as she didn't want Sanji to know she was spying on him, or to see her this way, straight out of bed. She tried shooing the kitten away, but it just kept walking to her, its big brown eyes glittering at the prospect of another human feeding him. It pushed open the door crack to reveal her and purred at her feet, rubbing its head on her legs.

She could feel her face soften at the gesture, as it was so cute, but hoped that Sanji wouldn't make a fuss about it. Before she even knew he'd moved, he was standing in front of her with the kitten in his arms. She hadn't even seen him bend down to pick it up.

"Your little friend is saying hello…I just thought I'd give him some breakfast. You want some too? I was just gonna make some eggs until Luffy and the others woke up," he said calmly.

Jasmine had to conceal a blush for some reason. Her heart seemed to beat faster around him. But she ignored the feeling like she had the night before and only nodded. It was then that her brain registered that Sanji only had his jeans on. His blonde hair was tousled and he seemed totally absorbed in petting and tickling the kitten in his arms while feeding the kitten the meat, which the small animal greedily gobbled up in a matter of seconds.

"He…He's not ours. It's a stray, but I guess we can keep him. He seems to like your cooking, so maybe you're not that bad a cook as Carne and Patty boast. But then, they say I'm bad compared to them, and quite frankly, they're wrong…I'd really like to make you breakfast instead Sanji…" Jasmine replied shyly, looking straight into his eyes that were shadowed by his blonde hair while he stared back deeply, much to her surprise. That was out of character for her. she liked cooking for everyone, that was true, but the only people that she ever felt like cooking exclusively for were her friends. There was a rap on the door, and the moment of staring each other down was broken.

"Jasmine? You home? Oh there you are!" a girl with light brown hair in a ponytail, soulful green eyes, and was somewhat tall said with a smile. The smile was somewhat rough, as if she was unused to smiling at many people. Then she noticed the half clothed Sanji, the still in her bedclothes Jasmine, and the cute kitten. Taking in the whole scene, she smiled slyly and poked Jasmine in the side.

"You never said you had a main squeeze! Wow, what a catch. He's hot. Too bad he's not on the market anymore…" she laughed. Sanji noticed she had on a baggy orange shirt and jeans. She looked like the kind of person you could depend on to watch your back in a fight. He also noticed Jasmine blush at her friends' comments.

"N-no! Sanji's not my boyfriend! I mean, I just met him yesterday! Kira, please try to not be so rough and crude! Especially when you're around daddy!" Jasmine pleaded. Kira smiled and shrugged, taking out a piece of a long stick. It looked like it connected to other parts as well, but she just played with that section, having it roll around the outside of her wrists without falling.

"Kay. I'm Kira, nice to meet you! I'm one of Jas's friends! Oh hey! Speaking of your dear old dad. Liz was takin a walk on the cliffs, and she saw a navy ship. Me think's Fullbody isn't takin no for an answer anymore…" Kira said jovially, as if anticipating something with great joy. Sanji nodded and grabbed his shirt and his blazer from a nearby chair since he slept on the couch, and put them on, listening to the conversation.

"OH NO! He's NOT going to take this village! I don't care HOW MANY people he's arrested! He's not claiming the island as a Naval Port! This is a PIRATE haven, not his personal rest stop!" Kit screamed from the bottom of the steps. She had on her usual black and green outfit, but she had a pistol strapped to her belt. She also had a black glass hilted sword in her hand.

"Oh yeah! Come on Kit! Let's take the fight to that pompous Naval Officer!" Kira said with a slightly scary enthusiasm. The girls cheered themselves and ran out the door. Jasmine sighed.

"I need leashes for them, I swear…I'm sorry they were so rude Sanji…" Jasmine apologized. She was presently begging the gods of the sea to have Sanji button his shirt, or she would be tempted to run her hands over his well-toned chest muscles, not to mention his six pack. He seemed not to sense her discomfort, but she saw some of his own on his face. He lit a cigarette, and didn't look at her for a long time, finding things in the room more interesting.

"Um…you should get dressed and wake the others…I'll clean up down here…" he said awkwardly. She blushed outwardly and nodded, running up the stairs. She had never been so flustered in her life and was unused to the sensation. She grabbed some jeans and a short-sleeved shirt that was light blue with a homemade pirate symbol. She woke everyone hurriedly, by mostly whipping the covers off of them, but with Luffy, she had to put a feather under his nose to make him sneeze awake.

When she returned downstairs, Sanji was trying to get the kitten to release its perch on his shoulder, but he laughed once he saw her shirt. She crossed her arms with a stern glare, and he went into shivering fits again. She always seemed to do that to him. And he didn't like that he was so easily swayed by a woman. But the way she'd looked only a few moments before…she'd seemed so innocent and kind when they'd been talking about the present nuisance on his shoulder.

"Why do you have a duck with a patch eye, two knives, and a CHEF'S HAT on its head on your shirt?" he laughed, soon to be joined by Ussop, who was struck on the back of the head and sent whimpering to the breakfast table, which Luffy was already digging into Sanji and Jasmine's eggs. Ussop in turn shoveled down the plate meant for Jasmine.

"HEY! It's Daddy's old pirate symbol! Show some respect…Fru Fru. I wouldn't be laughing if I were you Ussop…it makes you dribble your food and makes you look like you have a mental problem where you can't eat right," Jasmine snapped, storming out the door to the wharf. Sanji just blinked in confusion as Zoro, Zeff, and Nami came down, followed by Carne and Patty.

"Tut Tut Sanji…you're loosing your touch. You should know that a girl's feelings are fragile, and you just hurt Jasmine's. her whole world revolves around Zeff, this village, and cooking. Of COURSE she's gonna have her dad's symbol on her things. It's like her way of showing how proud she is of him," Nami explained, grabbing her Bo and walking out the door, followed by the others, Ussop complaining, and Luffy trying to nod and chew and walk at the same time.

Zoro walked out calmly as Carne and Patty followed him. Zeff stayed behind and put a reassuring hand on Sanji's stunned shoulder.

"Don't take it personally Sanji, Flower has always been proud of this old fool and this village. She takes offense easily, but don't let that stop you from making friends with her!" Zeff said with a gruff smile and nod. Sanji nodded with a weak smile. He felt like Zeff was watching his every move lately. But that may have been simply because he was beginning to make friends with Zeff's precious daughter. He shrugged and they walked out, cat and all, to meet the others at the docks. What they saw was a simple case of the Navy abusing their power, and also of Kira and Kit actually fighting as the villagers rallying to cheer them on as they took out a few soldiers.

Kira was swinging her Bo around like a skilled assassin, which many people suspected she'd been trained to be at one time, and Kit was both hacking and firing off shots at people. Their technique was obviously, hit first, and ask questions later. Jasmine was just standing there watching with the others.

"Hey Kit? Kira? Ya done beating up people for fun? They're just the small fry. They don't even have weapons. It's a waste of our time and energy…" Jasmine scolded. They smiled sheepishly and backed off, returning to their post at her side. A blonde commander with an iron fist looked over the edge, and Sanji immediately recognized him, and so did the commander.

"You're that Fullbuddy dude right? I thought I'd killed you I beat you up so bad at Baratie, you're still kicking huh?" Sanji said casually. The man wasn't amused, but Kit, Kira, Zoro, and Jasmine were. They were laughing at how Sanji got the man's name wrong.

"FULLBODY! NOT FULL "BUDDY"! YOU INSOLENT SPECK! THIS TIME I'VE GOT MY SHIP AND MY MEN! I'LL TAKE CARE OF YOU AND THIS VILLAGE AT ONCE!" he screamed, sending down some men with bayonets. Jasmine sighed, and Nami, Zoro, and Luffy tensed for the upcoming fight. Kira whipped out her Bo and held it in front of them, looking icily to the Naval Ship.

"This is OUR fight. You stay put…" she said casually, as if it wasn't even a request that she was tossing around. Zoro shrugged and sat down cross-legged and decided to leisurely watch, along with Luffy. Ussop by that time, was hiding in the midst of the villagers to watch from a safe distance. Nami stood, but said and did nothing more to show she was fighting. An arrow suddenly hit the railing that was next to Fullbody's hand and the tip sank deep into the wood. They looked behind to find a boy about 18 and a girl about 17 watching from a rooftop.

"Aw, you weren't gonna start the party without us, were you Fullbody honey?" the girl smiled, her mocking tone only furthering the navy's anger. The boy laughed and jumped down after sliding down a ways, landing gracefully with his bow. He strolled over to Jasmine and kissed her cheek, much to Sanji's annoyance.

He had black hair tied in a long ponytail, and deep blue eyes you could lose yourself in. He wore tan baggy pants with way too many pockets for Sanji's taste and a tight, form fitting black muscle shirt. The boy looked distastefully at Kira.

"Kira? Why are you wearing that hideous orange shirt? I hate orange and yellow, you know that," he said, while kissing Jasmine's hand at the same time. Sanji was about to hit him, but Jasmine just took her hand away calmly as if this was natural to them.

"Yeah, that's why I wore it Sora, it was just for you. Aren't I a considerate friend?" Kira smiled venomously. He snorted.

"Sora? What are you and Elizabeth doing here?" Jasmine asked curiously. He shrugged and smiled.

"Couldn't let a pretty little thing like you get hurt by facing such a simpleton as Fullbody. Besides, I need some target practice. I've been getting better at moving targets," Sora smiled, kissing her cheek again. She just brushed him off. It was apparent of two things at this moment to the crew of the Merry Go. One, Sora seemed to have a 'thing' for Jasmine. Two, this was surprisingly cheesing Sanji off.

Sanji was fuming and he made this apparent by putting a protective arm around Jasmine's shoulder and staring daggers at Sora. Sora returned the gaze just as brazenly, since he wasn't happy that Sanji was touching the girl that he was under the impression was going to marry him someday.

"Hello? Navy here? Stop having a lover's quarrel. Sora, meet Sanji. Sanji, meet Sora. Sora's been in love with Jasmine for a loooooooong time now. And Sora, Sanji's already gotten farther in a relationship than you've gotten to Jasmine. I saw him with her with his shirt off, sleeping on her couch, and talking over breakfast while she was wearing a nightgown. So yeah, dream on. Sanji's got you served," Kira laughed. Kit gasped, and the other girl just looked on in silent surprise. Jasmine and Sanji were blushing as Zeff looked threateningly to them both.

Zoro noticed that girl right away. She wore a spaghetti strap green shirt, with a jean jacket tied around her waist, with rolled up jeans. She wasn't very tall, but Zoro didn't notice too much as he was too busy trying to take in her light brown hair and her dark brown eyes that seemed to be searching everything.

"I'm sorry, but we DO have to run them out of town…again." The girl said. The others nodded. Kira and Kit went in and swung at the endless amount of soldiers, as the mystery girl who was as of yet to be named just seemed to use martial arts and other various hand to hand techniques. Jasmine on the other hand, ran straight through the sea of people and into the ship, straight to Fullbody. Sora accompanied her and then they were out of sight of the others.

While they were fighting, both the Baratie crew, and the Merry Go crew were observing. Then Zoro got bored, and decided to clear the men quickly. He got up, yawned, and then tied his black bandanna around his head, shadowing his eyes. Clenching a sword in his mouth, and two in his hands, he began to charge. Just before hitting a group of men, his blades swung in a distinct pattern.

"TIGER-----" he began, then closed his swords and annihilated the soldiers, "TRAP!"

"Whoa…" Kit muttered. She'd known Zoro was a skilled swordsman, but this was borderline ridiculous. A noise came from above on the deck and Fullbody came flying over the side, two arrows in his side and quite a few shoe sized bruises on his body, and crashed into the stone pavement. Jasmine peeked over the side and smiled with a wave.

"Sanji! Catch me, okay?" she called, he nodded and ran to catch her as she jumped into his arms with a 'plop'. Their faces were content, as if nothing had even happened and they DIDN'T have Navy bodies surrounding them. Sora jumped down and landed on his feet with a smile.

"Now, all of you still alive…don't ever come back. We won't be so gracious next time. And you'll lose more than a few men and a Lutinent, got it?" he snapped at the Naval officers still alive. They nodded and boarded their ship hastily. As all this went on, Jasmine was chatting with Sanji and they were talking about cooking breakfast together. Luffy, jumping up in rapture at the thought of food, followed. Zoro, Sora, Nami and Ussop just stared in wonder as Zeff and the others followed quietly.

"How can they act like we didn't just plow through tons of people?" Sora said shakily. He was half angry, half amazed they were so casual after that.

"Who knows…" Nami answered.

"Hey, who are you by the way?" Zoro asked the mystery girl, who'd been silent and nodding in agreement.

"Elizabeth. I'm one of Jasmine's close friend's…let's go. Breakfast'll be ready soon with two people cooking…" Elizabeth said softly and walked behind everyone. The remaining crew of the Merry Go and Sora nodded and ran to catch up. It looked as if things were going to be fairly normal now. Zoro hoped so, they needed a mini vacation.

**An: Yo! Yeah, I suck at fight scenes, so yeah…this was more about all your friend characters than anything. Can anyone guess who Zoro's ending up with? No? oh well. But I'm guessing you can, you're just being modest. Anyways, if anyone would like to request an idea, like a senario they'd like in here in Tasuki Village, be my guest to review it in. I'd probally write it. Anyways, later days! Keep reading for me! **


	4. Chapter 4: Manical laugh not included

**Disclaimer: Hello again, my pets! Lol. Just kidding. You know I love and appreciate you all. Anyways, I don't own One Piece, though I wish I did, since Tony Tony Chopper is like, the CUTEST SEA-FARING REINDEER ON THE PLANET! I love em. But I love Sanji more…for obvious reasons. Mmmm. Cooks with attitude rox my sox. I'm sure ppl out there feel the same. Anyways, let's get down to the nitty gritty. Here's my reviewers. And responses.**

**ThunderAnn: YAY! I updated! And now I'm doing it again. Uncanny how that works out ne? You're welcome for the character use, but I like her a lot. Our dear Liza…like Faust from Shaman King…only…not. Ignore me. Hope you like this new installment Thunder-chan! hey…you reviewed twice! COOL! I didn't know ppl could do that in one chap…it keeps blocking me every time I try….**

**DarkFairy01: Woot! Our second…or is it third? I've lost count…again…VILLAN! Thanks, your Lainy is in the fic. Hope you like it and keep reviewing!**

**The Hutchy.1:bows: Thank you. I hope you enjoy this next chippie.**

**AnimeCrazyK-chan: Thanks K-chan. I'm SOOOOOOOOOO glad you're a regular…you're very supportive my young One Piece enthusiast. Lol. I KNOW right? Sanji shirtless is nice…. **

**Kiari the Hell Cat: YAY! You came back! And thank you,bows I'd hoped that I'd have Sora right. Specially since he and Sanji will duke it out eventually….mwah ha ha. Can you say "Welcome to the Dark side, young…not jedi…but a pirate…slash wanna-be lover…slash…oh screw it. You're evil now." And yes, I'll gladly accept your Dameon, since he sounds cool. He'll be working with Lainy. And both will be subordinates of the big bad guy, whom I'm getting from SF Kitty. **

**i-dun-did-it: hiyas! Yep, updated again. I'm sorry for the delay…grovels for forgiveness Gomen nasai….T.T Bad grades and Health class sucks…**

**SF Kitty: YAY! I can use AMY! spotlight shines on Dagger, only she looks like Amy This is our leading villan everyone! But don't stop sending villans in, I can always use subordinates! w Oh, I'm psyched bout this villan! Go read SF's story and you'll all know why. Dagger rox. **

**Dagger: Well, at least SOMEONE appreciates me! glares at SF Kitty**

**Kinruta(me): now now Dagger, settle down… ;;…Wouldn't want you breaking my school now would we? Or SF Kitty…she hasn't finished your story yet…and I'm waiting for the next installment…**

**Dagger: pouts fine…stalks off and slams her door**

**Kinruta: sighs well, that went better than I'd thought. SF-sama, get better control of your insane creations. Lol. Jk.**

**nureiko-chan: lol. I like your enthusiasiam. Makes me all warm and fuzzy inside. And I can't take all the credit, I was watching Fruits Basket, and it was the episode that had Kyo/Tohru on the roof with all the kitties at school. I had to put the little black one in the corner into my story. Aren't kitties cute. But not as much as Sanji.**

**Phantom: yes, yes they will be fighting for her love. Only we know what favorite blonde cook that works on the Merry Go will win…oh yes, thank you and keep reading.**

**Kinruta: Last but not least, I'd like to address my first flame. Here it is:**

**setogirl04  
2005-09-16 ZOLO not Zoro! God! Zoro is a guy in a mask. geaz...  
ch 2, signed**

**Kinruta: Ok, first off, YOU'RE wrong. I hate to be so nasty about it, and I dearly hope I'm not, but Zolo is the name from the MANGA. In the American translation, since the 'l' can be translated as either an 'l' or an 'r'(I learned this from Shonen Jump, so you can check me on this!), they changed it to ZORO. They did the same thing with Tao Ren, by calling him Tao LEN in the anime. I decided to use the anime name for Zolo. Not the manga one. So I just wanted to clear my name. oh, and by the way, Zoro, the masked avenger…rox. I love his movies, so don't bash him either. Or I shall send my little shadow gremlins to haunt you in your sleep. Their names are Frank, Joe, and Marv. (did I handle that ok, everyone? and bear with me, this one's short since I'm not experienced with bad guys…yet.)**

Chapter 4: Evil Maniacal laugh not included, sold separately in a store near you.

Amy's mid-length, jet black hair danced with the slight sea breeze while her various subordinates, or lackeys, as she not-so-fondly addressed them, took care of the maintenance and soundness of the ship. Her ship was the Crimson Shadow. It had been a former Navy ship, but no longer. It's purpose had grown much more sinister. A sadistic smile graced her lips, as she thought with satisfaction about how she'd twisted such a noble ship that protected the people, into the 'Crimson Terror', as some people called it. Her ship was said to leave a crimson trail of blood behind it, supposedly from her victims of whatever town her and her pirates had ransacked. She left only one person from each village and town alive, to tell the story of her ruthlessness. She chuckled as her hands guided the rough wood steering wheel of the ship. That was how she'd claimed her name actually. Bloody Amy, they called her.

As she was mulling over these facts in her mind, a presence crept up behind her. She heard a low sound, much like a cross between a purr and a growl. Turning around, she saw one of her most trusted subordinates. He wore a tight black shirt, black jeans, and a long, floor-length black leather trench coat. His green, cat-like eyes bore into Amy's, the slits in them making even her alert and cautious as he towered over her. He was exceptionally tall, and incredibly wicked. He'd been trained in a small village, an assassin's village. But his family, friends, and all he'd held dear had been taken from him by the Navy, along with help from turncoat pirates seeking amnesty for their crimes. She smiled coyly, it was the reason he was her most valued and trusted leader she had. He'd never challenged her power, though she was sure he could put up quite a fight even against her, and he'd always been content to follow her orders. But he'd kill the fool who tried to give him a command that wasn't from his captain.

"Dameon," Amy said, placid and unreadable as ever. She hardly ever even let Dameon know her emotions, and he was the closest thing to a friend she had. He bowed his head, which was humbling to him, since he was about 34, while Amy was still fairly young.

"My Lady, I've found both Elizabeth and Kira. They shall pay for their crime of betraying you and hiding my captain. Shall I send one of my men to see to them? Though I'd hoped to be there myself, so I could hear their pained screams and their pathetic begging to be killed, after they've endured the hours of torture I've set up for them," he smiled wickedly. Amy recoiled in her mind.

His extreme like of torture and pain was what she both liked in him, and also what made her nervous with him. He killed a child once for crying near him when he'd woken up with a hangover. And it hadn't been pretty either. He'd brutally taken a rusty, well-used and blood-crusted wire and swiped it under the child's chin, yanked back, and decapitated him. It hadn't been pleasant to watch, or hear, as even Amy had turned away. The child's gurgling death cry as the wire had torn through him had been haunting many of the men, most of whom were to low in rank to even mention their discomfort with Dameon.

"Good. Do as you like really, but have you found _her_? That woman's daughter? Or any information about her?" Amy asked inquisitively, a long-term desire coming to the forefront of her mind. He smiled his cat-like grin and nodded.

"Found her, and got information all in one day. She's the daughter of some cook, who obviously married Gina, and she lives on Tasuki Island. Would you like me to send a dispatch for her too? She has Kira and Elizabeth with her there…" he purred, content at the prospect of slaughtering an entire island for the sake of one girl. Amy nodded.

"But Dameon, we must take this both slowly and cautiously. So I expect you to send in an infiltrator, until we know what she'd capable of…hm…how ironic, that the one place where the Navy has no control over our treacherous actions…is the once place our little prey chooses to reside. She must be the reason our dear Lizzie and Kira left in the first place. They can't know we're coming for both them and her. Send our newest recruit, Rainy, I think her name was, or something stupid along those lines…" Amy drawled out, lazily leaning on the wheel and gazing at the calm sea that looked like glass, from the reflection of the light on the water.

"It's Lainy…Captain Amy. It shouldn't be too hard to do, so yeah, I guess I'll go kill time if Dameon asks me to," Lainy said with a bored drawl. She had long, wavy brick red hair, and her eyes were a deep, deep brown that looked almost black. Which made most of the crew call her 'Oni'. Demon. She wasn't incredibly tall or imposing, but her aura had a cold, unfeeling air about it and you knew that she'd kill a million innocents without so much as a blink of the eye. She had on a black tank top with white stripe in the middle, khaki capris, and black shoes to go with her somber décor. Dameon glared at her, and while his gaze made most men go cold and paralyzed in fear, she just stared back, as if eternally bored.

"You will treat Lady Amy with respect, Lainy. If she says your name wrong, you don't correct her. If she tells you to kill, you do it without question. If she orders you to slit your throat so that she may have a minutes entertainment watching you die, you take out a knife and slide it across your throat. Is that CLEAR?" he hissed, clasping his hand around her throat, closing tighter and tighter with each passing word, until she was struggling to breathe and taking small, shallow breaths.

She gave him a slight nod, yet concealed her fear. Dameon had never disciplined her before, and she'd always caused trouble with the other crew members. She wondered briefly if his devotion to Amy was that strong, but decided he was just biding his time until he became captain. Lainy was very cold on many things, except Dameon. Something about the way he liked to get a buzz from killing an innocent in a brutal and often times torturous way, made her dizzy with enjoyment.   
He sighed and let her down, then bowed deeply to Amy. A small smile played on his lips, in both anticipation of the death of Gina's accursed daughter, and the prospect of torturing two people who had once taken orders from him faithfully. He walked away, Lainy following, but he ignored her. He rolled his eyes mentally. The girl never left him alone, even though he made it clear that he wanted nothing to do with love and the like. He hated love above all other things. He'd seen what love made people do. It made you sacrifice your life for another, it made you go on suicidal rescue missions that no one could possibly live through and yet you do it anyways, and it made you give up your entire being to someone else. That prospect scared him.

He'd never felt what it was like to belong to anyone but himself. And he didn't feel a need to. He had no desire to act like a fool. Especially not with a subordinate. Lainy was nothing but an insignificant speck that could possibly further Captain Amy's ambitions. She was expendable in his mind, whereas Amy, was not. He supposed that Amy was as close to a friend as he'd ever gotten, but he normally acted more like a body guard, or possibly a watch dog in her presence. But he enjoyed her company, since she liked pain and suffering as much as he.

"Sir Dameon? What would you have me do?" Lainy asked him, a hint of eagerness in her voice. He rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Go to the island, stupid girl. You're too young to be playing with the big leaguers. Leave the plans up to me and Lady Amy. Your job is to act like a mindless little drone and get our dirty work started. I would suffice that you take the safe route though, since Kira and Elizabeth are incredibly deadly when they feel like it. Act like an ally, since they don't know you, and then when we arrive once a plan has been made, betray them. Is that clear? Or are you too busy watching my mouth move to pay attention?" he snapped coldly.

She blushed for an instant, then regained her stony compousure. She nodded and jumped over the side railing, down to a waiting boat by the main flagship. She looked up and watched him look at her for a second, then turn swiftly away, and sighed as she untied her small vessel. He would never notice her, she knew, but she'd always hoped that he had an inkling of emotion for her.

"Besides contempt…"she bit out to herself, steering the ship into the wind and sailing towards the island. It would be a three day travel, but she'd endure it for Dameon's sake. He'd ordered her to do it. So she would. Her loyalty was daunting even to her, and confused her to no end. When she thought of Amy, she felt a burning jealousy rise inside of her. Amy had always seemed to rise some type of emotions out of Dameon. It infuriated Lainy to no end. Why could he not arouse those feelings for her?

Elizabeth looked out at the sea, seeing a dark cloud on the horizon, obscuring the golden reflection of the sun and water. A storm was coming. A bad one, but not only weather wise. Something told Elizabeth that something, or someone, was coming after them. Amy flashed through her mind for an instant. But she pushed it away. Elizabeth had always feared the sight of the sea, and the sight of a ship rolling in lately. Amy had caused that fear. At one time, she would have killed a village without the blink of an eye for the woman, and yet, now she was running and waiting for Amy to catch up with her and Kira. Waiting for death.

"What's wrong, Elizabeth?" Kira said, walking up behind her. Elizabeth turned and smiled softly, but doubt and fear were in her eyes. Kira leaned down and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"You're thinking about Bloody Amy, and the rest of those dogs again, aren't you? They won't hurt us, or Jasmine. It's our duty to protect Jasmine. Not only is she Gina's daughter, the daughter of the former King of the Pirates Gold Rodger, but she's our friend. If Amy wants the secrets of the Grand Line and the key to finding One Piece, she can forget it. I won't let someone so cruel and ruthless rule that big, beautiful ocean," Kira said boldly, with a defined 'hmph'. "Come on, Sanji and Jasmine are harping at me to get you to dinner. Jas says she'll yell at you if you're not there when it's hot."

Elizabeth smiled and nodded. Then they both got up and walked to the house, the sea, clouds, and sunset at their backs.

**An: DONE! Review everyone! I loves you! And I promise I'll update soon, and update my other stories too! You can flame me if you so wish, since I'd like to handle more of them…or not…your choice as always. bows My fingers are nothing more than humble servents for your enjoyment…wait…that came out wrong… ;;…ok, shutting up before I make a bigger fool of myself…**


	5. Ch 5: We all need, somebody to lean on'

**Disclaimer: Hiya everyone! smiles at the praise she got Thank you all for reviewing. Aren't you glad I updated? I'm doing it again too, outstanding, ne? Sorry, I've just had a major breakthrough with the AB writer's block. Anyways, I'm answering my reviews now.**

**Kiari the Hell Cat: Dameon is so friggin adorable! w I love him. He's turned out to be my most favorite bad guy….purr…lol. Nice quote there Kiari-chan! I laughed, I cried, and then I died. (not really, or I wouldn't be writing this.)**

**The Hutchy.1: I'm glad I've updated too… …I've felt like I've been ignoring you all…But I've been working on various Faruba ones, and my Ayame one is SOOOOOOOOOOO tempting….looks longingly at the Maze of the Heart save file**

**ThunderAnn: hugs You're a peach, really you are Ann-chan. And isn't Faust from Shaman King uber cool? I adore him. And thank you for the praise on my Faruba's. They DO make up the vast majority of my few stories. I only like to write MEANINGFUL ones…not crappy ones like some people throw together and think it's cool to have a HUGE number of stories…cough that are crap and make no sensecough**

**SF Kitty: …squee? What're you talking about?...suddenly clicks OHHHHHHHH! Just send me an email and ask the question there. My mail is So knock yourself out. Dunno if I can help though… looks at Dagger How ya been? Been a while. Ya know…you make a cute couple with…no, no it'd be wrong for me to spoil my opinion, specially with SF-sama reading…**

**Dagger:growls with WHO! You people never tell me anything anymore!**

**Me:nods It's how we are…deal with it. We are like the messengers of the wind, we come in silently and leave with only a passing glance and a sticky note left on the fridge…gets all "young grasshopper" like**

**Dagger: Stop trying to act like a ninja…you look stupid.**

**Me:…locks her in the closet again Shut up Dagger. Now I know why SF-sama keeps you locked up so much… also! SF-sama, thank you for the praise. I was hoping I got Amy right.**

**Well, on with the fic!**

Chapter 5: Just hold, on me, brother. When you need a friend, we all need somebody, to leeeeeeeeean onnnnnnn! (nope, this title relates to the story not at all. I just liked it.)

Lainy sighed, staring up at the night sky, looking at the stars. Her food was gone, and she could feel herself getting weaker and weaker with each passing moment. Partially, that was because of a storm on the first day that she'd been out. But she figured that was a good sign, since it meant that she was getting close to the island. A hand sifted through her slightly wet, red hair and she leaned over the side of the boat to look at her reflection. But what she saw underneath scared her into jumping back into her boat.

Sharks. Sharks were tailing her because they could smell her fear and could tell she was weak. Tears nearly sprang to her eyes, but a picture of Dameon flashed into her mind, making her gain back her resolve. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly as she once again took on her placid composure. 'I have to stay strong, I have to tell myself that Dameon wouldn't cower in fear like this…he'd most likely take a dagger and slice off the closest shark's fin…knowing him anyways…' she thought, and her thoughts of him calmed her. As always.

A sudden gust of wind made her jolt against something, and that something was obscuring her path. She looked around the front, and cursed. She'd hit a sandbank. It meant two things. One, she was EXTREMELY close to her destination, and two, she was shark bait if she tried to get out and scoop out enough sand to get her boat over it. Against all rational thinking, she swung her legs over and slid into the water with a small splash, if only to follow orders. This act of severe loyalty was daunting to her, since she'd never even CONSIDER doing this for someone else other than Dameon. But her feelings of confusion were too long, and sharks had surrounded her in a kind of pack, much like wolves who'll just wait for the weak one they're surrounding to fall so they can devour it.

'I…am going to die. I'm going to die, failing my mission, failing Dameon, and failing myself by not keeping my promise to survive, if only to seduce Dameon…what a stupid way to die…' she thought momentarily, then felt the first shark dart in and sink it's unparalleled rows of sharp, tiny teeth into her lower calf. She winced, and as it dragged her just below the surface, she realized that her body was screaming for air. Every inch of her burned, and the teeth of the sharks felt malicious and horrible to her skin. She realized that a shark's teeth were perfect for a torturous murder, since they didn't just slice and tear instantly. No, the sharks decided to shift their mouths every so often, so they could get a better grip and to keep the warm, red blood flowing into their mouths and filling it with its metallic taste.

Just as Lainy had given up and closed her eyes, her muscles relaxing and giving into death, she felt two pairs of strong arms grasp onto her. One pair of the arms she could tell was kicking the sharks away, and she finally felt the sharks teeth break away from her skin. She opened her air-deprived eyes and saw only blurry images. She saw a large, light yellow mass of color, and two pairs of eyes, or what she thought were eyes. One pair brown, one blue. She closed her eyes again and let the darkness overcome her, but not without a parting thought.

'I wonder…if these are angels taking me away…no…it wouldn't hurt if they were angels…guess I owe whoever has saved me…' she thought drowsily, her mind finally slipping into the black oblivion.

When Lainy woke up, she saw a girl with long blonde hair and sweet blue eyes rushing about her, rearranging blankets, fluffing pillows, and making sure that the washcloth on her head was kept warm. Lainy blinked once, then twice, and looked up at the girl.

"Who are you?" she asked, wanted to know to whom she owed a favor to. She was hoping it wasn't who she thought it was, or she would be displeasing Dameon even more so than she probably already would for being foolish enough to dive into a sea of surrounding sharks. The girl cocked her head and smiled sweetly.

"I'm Jasmine. I'm here to take care of you, since everybody else is helping daddy get ready to take the Baratie back out to sea. What's your name?" Jasmine said, her tone light and her hands gentle as she pulled back the covers and started to rebandage the bloody gauze that surrounded most of Lainy's legs and part of her stomach. Lainy looked away from the sight. One thing she'd never been able to handle was the sight of her own blood. Others, she could deal with. But not her own, to her, it seemed as if she was watching her life slip away between the cuts.

"Lainy. I'm Lainy…thank you…Jasmine, was it. For saving me and all. I know it was you, since your hair still looks a little wet…but who else helped you? There were two of you," she said calmly, though her insides screamed at her for letting the prey she was supposed to be watching save her. She knew she should have died for her foolishness back there, but a part of her was afraid of it.

"Oh…that was Sanji…he's a really great guy, he kicked those sharks away from us both. We were walking on the beach when we saw your boat hit a sandbank, and we were going to go help you, but then you dived under and didn't come up…so Sanji and I ran to get to you, and saw the sharks. I dived in first, so I don't know if Sanji helped because of me, or because of you. I'd like to think it was both!" Jasmine chirped, and Lainy could tell there was something between Jasmine and this 'Sanji' she talked so fondly of. It seemed to Lainy that Jasmine had suddenly grown a kind of airy, faraway feel to her, as if she was daydreaming. Lainy suspected she was.

"I owe you both…just don't expect anything INCREDIBLY important, cuz I have to join up with my crewmates sometime," she answered, crossing her arms, yet putting on a kind face for Jasmine.

She was supposed to befriend the girl, and lull them all into a false sense of security. That was her job. And damned if she wasn't going to do it. She continued to chat with Jasmine, when she heard a clattering downstairs, and a tousled looking guy came in. He had short, tousled hair, and warm, soft brown eyes. His build was sturdy and lean, but he looked powerful. He had on a striped shirt, with a black blazer and jeans on. He looked as if he'd run all the way home, which Lainy suspected he'd done to see Jasmine. She could tell somehow, since the minute he'd stepped into the door, an air passed between him and Jasmine, it felt like love that was buried so deep that the lovers themselves didn't realize their feelings.

Lainy thought longingly back to Dameon. She wished that they too, would have that air about them. She shook her head and closed her eyes with a sigh. It would never come to pass, and her dreams of being with him would go unrealized. But in a way, she was so envious of Sanji and Jasmine, and so angry that they didn't realize their affections, that deep inside her all she wanted to do was obliterate any chances of their love blossoming, since hers hadn't had the chance to. She resolved she'd do just that, she'd become friends with them, and then find little ways to tear them apart.

Sanji just had a feeling as he reached the door to the house that he needed to see Jasmine. He'd been so scared when she'd jumped in after the girl whom was obviously going to die, that he'd jumped in after her without hesitation. He ran inside, dropping the groceries on the counter, and dashed upstairs. He paused in the doorway, seeing Jasmine talking to the girl with a smile on her face. He'd never felt such a wave of relief wash over him like this, just knowing she was there and ok. He hadn't been able to shake the feeling of ominous darkness hanging over his precious Jasmine ever since laying eyes on the girl they'd saved. He stopped. He didn't realize when he'd started thinking of her as _his Jasmine_, but obviously he had. It wasn't an unwelcome feeling, just new and unknown. He wondered, as he relaxed, when his wandering eyes had settled down on one woman.

He'd certainly never been that way with the countless other women he'd romanced, including Nami. He'd always found someone else to lavish his affections on in a matter of minutes. But not with Jasmine, for it seemed as if she owned all of him, and that he was seemingly never going to get himself back. He sat down on the bed, next to Jasmine, yet keeping an eye on the new girl. Something about her threw him off, and not in a good sense. She was trouble, he could feel it. But he figured she wouldn't try anything, since she owed them her life.

"I'm Sanji. Nice ta' meetcha'," he said in a laidback tone, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it, taking a long, slow drag. He puffed the smoke back and disappeared in a cloud of black. The girl waved the smoke away and smiled.

"I'm Lainy. Nice to meet you too, Sanji-san. So you were the one who saved me, huh?" she said sweetly. He nodded, then shook his head.

"Not really…Jasmine helped a lot…and if she wasn't there I…" he began to say, then stopped. He wanted to say 'If Jasmine wasn't there I wouldn't have saved you,' but that wouldn't have been a good thing to say to either of the girls. So he shut up, figuring it the smarter of the two things to do. Jasmine just tugged on his sleeve lightly with a smile, and nodded toward the door.

"About time to make supper, isn't it Sanji? Let's go. Oh, Miss Lainy, you'll be ok alone, won't you?" Jasmine asked worriedly, making Sanji smile warmly. He adored the fact that Jasmine was so worried and involved with people. She cared about people more than anything, and he loved that. He nodded and took her hand, seeing her blush from the corner of his eye, and with a small, content smile, led her downstairs. He wanted her away from Lainy as fast as humanly possible.

Once downstairs, he led her to the kitchen. She started to hum as she got cooking ingredients down from the shelf, and Luffy's tell-tale laugh alerted them to his presence in the house. Sanji sighed a little in relief, since more people, meant he wouldn't get too intimate with Jasmine. He knew, that knowing about his love for her, would make him want to tell her and to be with her at all times. But he was afraid, afraid that she'd reject him like Sora. And he'd seen the effects on Sora afterwards. The guy always seemed to immediately need something sweet to gorge on after a rejection. But he never gave up nonetheless, but Sanji was worried that he'd grow fat and lazy if Jasmine kept rejecting him. He chuckled lightly, thinking of a fat Sora. Jasmine looked at him, cocking her head, her blonde hair hanging in the air and over her shoulder and her beautiful eyes inquisitive as ever.

"What's so funny Sanji?" she asked, her tone light and curious. Their little cat friend, which Sanji unimaginatively named 'Neko-chan' hopped up onto the counter and licked her hand, begging for a treat and Sanji knew he was just meowing out 'Look at me Jasmine, I'm cute, feed me'. He tickled the cat's ear and smiled.

"Just looking at Neko-chan. Now, we should get going or Luffy will swear he's dying of…" Sanji started, but Luffy's whining drifted into the kitchen.

"SANJI! JASMINE! Hurry, hurry! I'm dying of hunger out here! I want some meat, if you don't mind!" he called, his stomach rumbling loudly for added effect. Jasmine laughed, and held Sanji's arm for support so she didn't fall from the action. Sanji puffed out proudly, elated and giddy that she was touching him so casually, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. And it was.

**AN: Well, how was it? Hope you liked it! Review, and give suggestions if you so wish to do so…I make no sense whatsoever, do I? well, till next time, avedase'! ok…that was spelled wrong…um…arivoir'…no…oh just screw it. Catch ya later. w **


	6. Chapter 6: Love in Darkness & Memories

**Disclaimer: I sadly don't own One Piece, and if I did, Sanji would kill Zoro, Nami would fall off a cliff, and Ussop would do the Monkey all day long so I could laugh, while I let Luffy pursue his dream of becoming king of the pirates. I'd even get him a little Burger King hat. Lol. Ok, here are your reviews!**

**Wingedblackheart: Eh heh! ; Um…thanks, I guess? I don't LIKE flames per say, I just try to deal with them as politely as possible, without looking like an ass in the process. YAY! New REGULAR! gives you a big hug, and an honorary All Blue Romance pin with Sanji and Jasmine on it And I agree, undubbed is better, but the dubbed version of Sanji's voice is reeeeeeeaaaally good! w **

**SF Kitty: AH! Kitty-sama! That is such a uber cute Idea! As seen, since it's now in this chapter. - - And yes, you guessed right, they DO secretly have a deeper relationship, which will cause problems later for our bumbling crew of misfits (aka, Luffy's pirates). **

**Kinruta: waves to Kitty-sama as she passes a po'd Dagger Woah…what's her beef? Oh, and btw Kitty-sama, I DON'T think it should be Zoro! So HA! I don't like him, never have, never will. He's too all 'I'm cool and I know it so buzz off'. I KNOW this is cliché, but I agree with you on this one, she should be with the one she loves deep down. I KNOW she has a heart…somewhere…it's microscopically small, but it's there. You just need a microscope to see it. Like the Grinch! **

**Dagger: x WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN! YOU'RE A CRAPPY FAN, YOU KNOW THAT?**

**Kinruta: snickers Yes, yes I do. But Que' sera' sera', as good ole Shigure Sohma says. growls Who are these "fans" of which you speak? Are they harassing you or something? If they are, I will SO open a can of whoop-ass on them…actually, I'll get Sanji, Yuki (from Fruits Basket), and Faust to do it. But the it's the thought that counts! --**

**ThunderAnn: TA-chan! hugs Sanji and Faust plushie with tears in her eyes Yay! New cyber-plushies! puts them on bed with her Kurama, Shigure, Momiji, Yuki, Hiei, Koenma, Amidamaru, Ryoga, Miroku, Sesshomaru, and Koga plushies They're all one happy little family. Woot! Faust rox! He was scary though, the whole, 'ripped out his own bone' thing from the manga creeped me out BIG TIME. I had a nightmare about that one. I was off of Shaman King for a good week because of that…shivers bad memories…Hope you like the new chap!**

**The Hutchy.1: Hey Hutchy-chan! Thank you, I enjoy the praise. It gives my ego a boost. - - I don't think the pairings are half bad myself. But then again, I'm writing it. So I don't count, do I? **

Chapter 6: In response to playing cat and mouse… (evilly evilly evil love chap)

Amy looked out once again to the sea she wished to conquer, her eyes wistful as she dreamed of ultimate power, and perhaps even becoming one of the 7 Warlords of the Sea. A man she was hunting was one of them. A man that would pay for his crimes against her. Once he used Jasmine to fulfill his own needs of becoming the King of Pirates, she'd kill the man and obliterate those who opposed her. Especially Falcon. He'd betrayed her, and scarred her deeply, using her like a tool. This was why she was so hesitant to listen to these feelings of comfort and safety while in Dameon's presence. But, lost in her thoughts, she didn't feel this familiar presence behind her, and only noticed him when he placed a strong hand on her shoulder.

"Why are you so intent on using this way to get to One Piece, anyways? I know it's not my place Amy but…" he said, drifting off sadly. He so wished it was his place to ask her. He cared for her so.

She'd never known until recently, when she'd guessed one night while he gave a report to her. She'd said it was the little things, his gestures, his fond tone with her, and his hesitation recently to say he wanted nothing to do with love. And most recently, his brutal treatment of Lainy, the girl that adored him most on this ship, and yet he rejected her because of his affiliation with Amy. She smirked and turned to him, her eyes sparkling, enjoying their bantering as they often talked in privacy up in the crow's nest, which was where they were now. They'd grown accustomed to meeting there and talking not like master and servant, but as friends. It was a first for either of them, and in that way inevitable that Dameon had fallen in love.

"Why do you want to know, Dameon?" she asked, almost purring in a way. It made a shiver go down his spine. Her little ways of making him uneasy on the inside scared him truthfully. He still didn't want to give up ownership of himself, and he knew not why he knew in the back of his mind that she'd be the only person on earth to make his lust for blood waver.

"Curious, I guess…" he shrugged, wrapping a sturdy arm around the mast and looking idly to a seagull that had perched on top of it. She smiled, a rare sight to see twice in one conversation.

"Curiosity killed the cat…" she said with a small laugh. Which was a surprise in itself, but he regained his composure, not wanting to look surprised, or any other feeling for very long.

"But satisfaction brought me back…" he smiled. She laughed, and Dameon was amazed. Never before had she been so informal and at ease with him, but he could tell that she was still uneasy with the whole thing. He was almost sure she felt something for him that went beyond a master/servant relationship, almost. But he could only wish that his feelings were reciprocated.

"True, but as you know, I've been betrayed by those I trust before…I plan to use her to torture that person, make his life a living hell, and make him beg me for death. But I won't give it to him…right away. I'll make him suffer as I've suffered. I'll make him scream in pain, and mourn for death, then I'll end it and become Queen of the Pirates…he'll regret the day he used me…" she hissed, looking off into the horizon with an icy glare. He sighed, she was back to her stony and cruel demeanor again. He'd suspected she would, but he'd almost told himself she wouldn't.

Lainy was nibbling away at some dish that Sanji had put out for her earlier, staring out the window of her room blankly. She didn't really see the town, or the harbor, but her eyes focused on the horizon of the sea that could be seen from every vantage point of the town. She anticipated the Captain and Dameon arriving within the next two to three weeks. They'd wait a while before they headed here. She looked around, once again back in the room, recovering. The annoying pirate crew had come to check on her multiple times, and she'd been kind every time. Though the fuzzy feelings and friendly talk made her want to puke. Just to remind herself, she ran through the names of the pirates once more in her head, so when she could talk to them freely and they completely trusted her, she didn't screw it up.

'Alright…Scaredy Cat is named Ussop…the Con artist is named Nami…Sash-boy is named Zoro…Blondie is Sanji. And Blondie's girlfriend is Jasmine. The Geezer is Zeff, and his little lackeys are named Carne and Patty…and thus, concludes the peanut gallery,' she thought cynically, mentally picturing each with a smile. Just then, the one she'd forgotten came in with a huge smile, a tip of his straw hat, and a big plate of meat. Her eyes widened in surprise, and she felt herself cock her head, though she didn't mean to. It was strange, these people, no matter how much she didn't want them to, were arousing old habits that she hadn't experienced since before she'd become a blood-thirsty pirate. It almost made her feel…human again.

"Hey! You're up! That's good. You need some meat! Meat will help you get strong, so you can join my crew, like Sora, Jasmine, Kira, Kit, and Liz are! You'll have lots of fun on the Merry Go!" Luffy smiled, shoving the plate of food into her lap and sitting on the edge of the bed, a huge smile on his face while his trademark laugh emerged once he was done talking. Lainy was always confused in Luffy's presence. He was so upbeat and kind to her, and much more trusting than the rest of the crew.

"Why…are you being so nice to me?" she whispered, thinking out loud, just staring blankly at the plate of food. Even the smell of cooked meat, which normally made her happy since it reminded her of burning down a town with people still in it, didn't cheer her up. She could not understand why this boy wanted to help her, to befriend her. Yes, this had been her job. But now…it was her mystery to figure out. She'd never been treated this way by pirates before, and the town she'd lived in once, a town Amy destroyed, had shunned her for the most part for lack of parents.

"Because…Sanji and Jasmine told me you were a pirate. Pirates have to stick together. Because, even if we fight each other one day, we'll be able to fight well since we know we're fighting a friend. But it'd be good if you joined our crew too! I bet we have a lot more fun than the crew you're with," he smiled, taking off his hat and running his fingers through his black hair. She nodded and smiled softly, picking up the straw hat and stroking the red band around it with a single finger.

"Ya know…that means a lot. And you're right; you're definitely more interesting than my old captain. She was no fun to be around at all…and…your hat reminds me of a guy I knew. He kinda took me under his wing when he lived in my town…everybody didn't like me, since I had no parents. I'd get passed from house to house…until he came. He took me in, and let me have a family with his crew. All my crazy uncles…and the man I called 'Dad'…" she said, her mind drifting back to her childhood. Even now, his soft, loving eyes, his tousled, red hair, his laid-back demeanor, all of it came back to her in an instant. And his crew, her uncles. The marksman, Yassop, had always been her favorite. He'd always been so kind, and he'd made her one of the best shots in the Eastern Blue. But it was Shanks who was her father of sorts.

"He came home once…his arm had been bitten off by something…said he'd defended a boy my age, some dummy who ate Dad's Devil Fruit. He would always laugh and tell me about him, but he never told me his name. I guess he kinda took that boy under his wing too…he went away more and more…and then…he just…left. He didn't come back again, when I was 15. And the town was dystroyed. It would've been alright if he'd been there. Dad makes everything alright again…always sticking up for the little guy…that's my dad…" she said softly, not really wanting to share with Luffy, but needing to tell herself, to make sure Shanks was truly real, and not the creation of a lonely little girl's mind. Luffy put a hand on her shoulder in comfort and looked at her gently, taking the hat and putting it on her head.

"Yeah…he sounds like a great guy. I knew a great guy too. He took care of me, since my mom ran the local tavern. And I feel for the kid with the Devil Fruit, since I accidentally did that too…kinda stupid, huh?" he laughed, an attempt to make her feel better. She shook her head, tears lacing her vision, but thankful for the hat and her own auburn hair to cover her face.

"Nah…It's okay when you do it Luffy…you use your power the right way. He always told me, 'Lainy, when a person's got power, they also get the responsibility to use it the right way'. I wonder…if he could see me now…if he'd be ashamed?" she replied. Luffy shook his head with a smile, tore off some meat, and shoved it into her mouth, much to her surprise.

"No way! You're really nice, and I bet you're a great pirate! Whoever he is, is lucky to have a daughter like you! Now eat up, there's no sense in wasting good meat!" he smiled. She nodded as she chewed the food, swallowing it contently. And, for the slightest moment, she forgot about killing, forgot about destruction, forgot about Dameon. All she knew was the here and now, and Luffy, and the rest of the crew. And it felt…nice for once. Luffy started to walk away, and she called after him when he hit the door.

"Luffy! Your hat! You forgot it," she said, surprise in her voice. He looked back and smiled, pointing at her.

"You hold onto it until I have to leave, okay?" he laughed, leaving. In that moment, Lainy was reminded so much of Shanks, and tears of happiness, of belonging again, ran down her face.

**AN: DONE! Ok, sorry for the hold-up! Next chapter will be soon! The big 'Unveiling of Feelings'! Later!**


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